


Improvement

by kibasniper



Series: Femslash February 2020 [25]
Category: Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: Battle Couple, Canon Era, Drabble, F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February 2020, Fencing, Post-Canon, Promises, Slice of Life, Swordfighting, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:47:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22902703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper
Summary: Their epees clash, and Cornelia shows Gertrude what she's made of.
Relationships: Cornelia/Gertrude (Umineko no Naku Koro ni)
Series: Femslash February 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618900
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Improvement

**Author's Note:**

> Femslash February 2020 Day 25: Sword.

Cornelia gasped as her back slammed into the wall. Her head throbbed, making her eyes feel as if they were pulsing. She gnawed down on her lower lip, her grip on her epee tightening, and she thrust herself forward at the woman looking at her with the same brilliant vermillion eyes.

Her heels smashed into the tiled floor, the watchful gaze of her teacher and peers upon her. She swung and jabbed, left and right, aimed for the jugular and stomach, but her opponent danced around her. She appreciated the challenge, however, a hint of a smirk appearing on her sweaty, flushed face. If it were anyone else attacking her, then she would have been embarrassed to be seen in such a flustered state in front of the other angels.

But Gertrude knew her well. Out of all of her allies, Gertrude was the one she trusted the most. A quiet part of her wondered if Dlanor would have been bothered to hear that, considering how lonely her leader felt at times. But unlike Dlanor, Gertrude would bring out the real fight in her, testing all of Cornelia’s limits until they had gone well beyond them. Gertrude was poised and controlled, attacking whenever she saw an opening and forcing Cornelia to counter or dodge, her movements quickening when Gertrude advanced upon her. No one else could have made her feel so alive.

She couldn’t remember the last time they had trained together. Ever since Gertrude climbed the ranks of Eiserne Jungfrau, their time together grew short and further apart. Cornelia trained her body while Gertrude stamped paperwork in her neat office, but when Gertrude had come to check on this particular training session, Cornelia had leapt at the chance to show off her prowess in a fencing battle.

And she knew Gertrude wouldn’t deny her that, not when Gertrude was the one who brought her into their line of work.

Gertrude jabbed at her throat, but Cornelia spun to the side like a swift ballerina. She put all of her weight on to her heels and flung herself forward. Determination burned in her gaze, Gertrude’s eyes widening at the fire flaring in her irises, and before either of them knew it, Cornelia’s epee was underneath the pale tip of Cornelia’s chin.

Gasps erupted from the other angels. Even the teacher, a first-class priest, dropped her clipboard, the clatter echoing like a thunderclap. They panted, staring into each other’s eyes, their chests just barely touching. Cornelia thought she could hear Gertrude’s heartbeat, and as she licked her chapped lips, she marveled at the hint of pink coloring Gertrude’s faintly tanned skin.

“Have you...been out on a mission recently?” Cornelia whispered, furrowing her brows. “Without me?”

Gertrude’s lips quirked upwards. She rested her hand on Cornelia’s shoulder as the priest called the end to the match. “I have. I couldn’t interrupt your training.” She stroked the side of her neck, her fingernail grazing her skin and making Gertrude suppress a pleasant shudder. “Should I have asked?”

“I wish you did. I could’ve shown off how much better I’ve gotten without making you red-faced,” Cornelia replied, a hint of arrogance in her tone.

Her smile grew, reminding Cornelia of a curious cat. “Let it be known that I will certainly invite you along to my next extradition on a witch’s game board. You will be by my side.” She chuckled. “I invoke the vow of Lady Lambdadelta to maintain this promise.”

She lowered her epee, the tip bouncing against the ground as her peers erupted in applause for her victory. Her shoulders lowered, losing all of her tension and irritation. As Gertrude stroked her cheek, she murmured, “I, too, invoke the vow of Lady Lambdadelta, and let it be known that I will always be by your side.”


End file.
